I played two hours of Little Nightmares III, and it’s everything I hoped for

I love the Little Nightmares series. I consider it to be one of the better and more unique horror experiences of the last decade, and I don’t say that lightly. I have a lovely little statue of Six, courtesy of the Six Edition of the first game, staring at me from the shelf as I’m writing this. The reason I love it so much is that it mixes puzzle, platform, and horror, quite a unique blend that helps it stand out from other franchises like Resident Evil and Silent Hill.

So it goes without saying that one of the new Switch games I’m most excited for is Little Nightmares III, and I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation from Bandai Namco to attend an event last week where I went hands-on for a two-hour session with the horror game. Today, I get to tell you all about the chapter I played, and how Little Nightmares III is shaping up. Spoiler alert: Supermassive Games has really cooked with this one.

While Tarsier Studios is responsible for the first two games, Bandai is working with Supermassive Games on LN3, and with the Dark Pictures Anthology, The Quarry, and Until Dawn to the studio’s name, I couldn’t wait to see it tackle something quite different with the world of Little Nightmares.

From the get-go, you can feel the atmosphere oozing in the air, which is something the series always excels in, but I’d argue that Little Nightmares III is perhaps a little less intimidating as you get to have a friend along for the ride, a first for LN. Things don’t feel as hopeless or as tricky when it comes to solving puzzles, with my partner and me being a shining example of why. Numerous times throughout our trial, one of us would spot something that the other didn’t; one example involves a radio, and the other is a minigame revolving around Low’s bow. For obvious reasons, I’m going to keep details of the puzzles to a minimum – I’m not a fan of even running the possibility of spoiling anything.

I think I should start this preview by addressing the most obvious thing you may want to know about, and that’s the multiplayer – I played the entire demo with a partner whom I had never met before. Yet, now we have a bond for life after helping Low and Alone through the Carnival chapter. Big shout-out to my new friend! We were the first to finish out of everyone in our group and solved some of the puzzles at a speed that impressed the developers. This information surprised both of us, considering we had some very stupid and highly hilarious deaths during our run. It’s nice to find someone as clumsy as me.

The connection was absolutely perfect, with the multiplayer experience working seamlessly, which is a good thing, because teamwork is essential in this game. While you can play solo, you still need to have the AI working as your partner because so much of the game involves Low and Alone working together, and that’s especially true when solving puzzles and fighting enemies. Yes, even in combat, you need the power of two, as Low needs to stun your enemies, even knocking their heads off in the Carnival chapter, leaving Alone to smack her wrench down on their heads to finish them off – they move ridiculously fast, so if one of you is too slow or not paying attention, it’s game over. Luckily, you can whistle, helping to pull the attention away from your friend.

You need to stay in constant communication with your buddy, as there are times when you must be in separate rooms, explaining what you’re doing, as it just might help to keep your friend alive and get them to the next area. So, with that in mind, you should invest in some of the best Switch 2 accessories and a good headset.

Delving a bit deeper into the puzzles, the ones you encounter in the Carnival chapter are particularly clever, forcing you to think carefully and pay attention to your surroundings. Not a single puzzle gave me a sense of frustration. Instead, I felt immense accomplishment when my partner and I worked out the solution, continuing on our journey. If you’re a longtime fan of Little Nightmares, you may be able to use some of your knowledge to aid you in places, as there are some staples present that you may be familiar with. You sometimes also need to think about what you’re doing at speed, because, as I’m sure you know, there are some evil beings out to ruin your day, and some of those sequences really do get your blood pumping.

Even after only two hours with them, I feel compelled to help Low and Alone on their journey. I already have a certain sense of camaraderie with their friendship being utterly charming and inspiring. When going through vents with heavy grates blocking them, the first one literally pulls the second through to safety. I’m a fan of Six, and I almost felt disappointment at not being that character again, but I don’t think that way anymore. Instead, I’m keen to learn more about Low and Alone, and the only way to do that is to play the full game upon release. As the demo leaves me believing it could be one of the best Switch games of the year, you can be sure that I will.

Something else that blows me away in Little Nightmares games is the sound design, and this third instalment doesn’t let me down, with a certain instance of intestines falling out of a box continuing to live rent-free in my head. It looks and sounds visceral – perfect design, even if it left my partner and me in a state of ‘eww’ for a few minutes. The sound matches perfectly with the appearance of the world; it’s dark, unfeeling, and fills you with a sense of dread. The environmental design is fantastic, and it’s what I’ve come to expect from the series. I’m also a huge fan of using flashlights in horror games, so the extra dark segments that force me to use a light, only to spot something I don’t want to see, are gold.

Performance-wise, there were a couple of instances of framerate drops here and there, but nothing too strenuous, and it’s of course worth pointing out that this isn’t the final build, so Supermassive Games are likely to iron out the ever-so-slight issues ahead of its launch on October 10. I didn’t play the game on the Switch 2; instead, I was on a PC using a PS5 controller. Overall, the controls work really well, even if it took me longer than I care to admit to remember to pull the right trigger to hold onto the ledges after jumping for them.

The final moments of the Carnival chapter are fantastic; it was all very dramatic, and now I find myself impatiently waiting to continue playing what is thus far proving to be a really fun horror puzzle game. Little Nightmares III welcomes new and old players alike, featuring likeable protagonists, a dark and disturbing world shrouded in mystery and atmosphere, along with multiplayer that feels like a natural progression. This is a game to keep your eye on, perfect for spooky season.

To get into the spirit of teamwork ahead of October 10, make sure you check out our picks for the best multiplayer games.